A Complicated Love
by Doctor's Torchwood
Summary: Rose Tyler left Mickey Smith that night in Cardiff to be with her love in the TARDIS, but who is it? The Doctor or Jack Harkness? Rose must choose who she loves while stopping an evil enemy in Ancient Athens before its too late.
1. A Tricky Situation

_I do not own Doctor Who or it's characters. I only own this story_

* * *

Chapter 1: A Tricky Situation

She woke up late. Tired and hungry, Rose Tyler slowly got out of her bed in the TARDIS and prepared for another day of travelling the universe. While she was getting dressed and putting on her make up, she thought about her life. A few days ago, the TARDIS went to Cardiff to refuel on the space/time rift. It was one of the only sources left to recharge the TARDIS, especially since Gallifrey was destroyed in the Time War. Anyway, while Rose, the Doctor, and Jack were there, they ran into trouble with a member of the Slitheen family; a female Raxacoricofallapatorian who was fiery and determined. To make a long story short, the alien looked into the heart of the TARDIS and became reduced to an egg.

However, while they were trying to stop her, Rose lost her long time boyfriend Mickey Smith. He wasn't dead. It was just that they had a big fight and officially broke up. She ran away to help the Doctor and Jack instead of running away with Mickey to safety. By, doing this she made a choice and it wasn't Mickey, but who was it? Did she run to The Doctor or Jack Harkness? Rose wasn't entirely sure yet. She had complicated feelings for both the Doctor and Jack. The Doctor saved her from a life of boredom and working in shops. He strutted about that TARDIS doing his normal routine with such passion. The Doctor was also mysterious. Rose liked that. He has a rough exterior, but is still a little boy on the inside. The Doctor showed her a better life. Clearly he liked Rose enough to keep her around. Rose had proven herself time and time again to be worthy of being a companion. However, he treated her like a daughter sometimes. Still, he understood her feelings. He understood what made her feel happy and Rose never felt happier then when she was with the Doctor.

Jack, on the other hand, was just gorgeous. She was attracted to him from the moment that she first landed in his arms. He was just so handsome, but he was more than just that. Jack knew how to charm Rose. He was also a suave and adventurous man from the future. Jack often never abided by the rules, but was always loyal to his friends. Rose always felt safe in his arms. Jack could always make Rose laugh and cheer her up after a stressful day with aliens and danger. They danced on top of a spaceship during the London Blitz. The way he moved was brilliant. The way he was able to make her feel safe even in one of the most dangerous places in history, was something no one else had ever done before. Jack was great, but so was the Doctor. Once she finally got ready, she walked out of her room, down the hallway, and into the large room with the TARDIS console. The Doctor and Jack were waiting for her.

"There you are." The Doctor remarked. "Now we can get started."

"Where are we going?" Rose asked.

"I suggested a day in ancient Athens. I thought that would be a nice, quiet, and romantic destination." Jack said while walking over to Rose, taking her hands, and winking at her.

"Will you stop flirting Jack?" The Doctor asked sarcastically while maneuvering around the TARDIS console pressing buttons and puling levers.

The Doctor did bring up a good point. Jack would flirt with just about anyone or anything. Rose wondered if he was even capable of settling down or even just committing to her. The Doctor, on the other hand, sometimes just looked right through her. He wouldn't know real flirting from playful banter. If Rose ever wanted the Doctor to know how she felt, she would have to tell him right to his face in a way that he couldn't possibly ignore and she wasn't sure that she was ready to do such a thing. All these things she considered while rocking around in the big blue box as it flew through the time vortex. Eventually, they TARDIS landed.

"Alright then," The Doctor began. "Ancient Athens."

The Doctor held Rose's left hand and Jack held Rose's right hand.

"Let's all go out together." Jack said.

Rose felt so trapped in her emotions. She had to decide soon which one she wanted. She had to decide which hand to let go of. She had to do it soon, before things got complicated.

They walked closer towards the doors. Then, The Doctor and Jack each took the handle of one of the TARDIS doors. Then, they opened the doors, and let Rose walk out into an ancient world. However, it seemed that wherever the TARDIS team went, trouble followed. And Ancient Athens would be no exception. An evil threat was lurking in the city. This would definitely be a day that Rose would never forget.


	2. Aliens of Athens

Chapter 2: Aliens of Athens

It was beautiful. It was Athens. It was one of the mot famous cities in all of human history. The large buildings with that famous Greek architecture flare were present everywhere. Men, women, and children were walking about the city in their elegant togas. The TARDIS had landed downtown by the agora. This was the main area of Athens for shopping, athletics, arts, and politics. It was one of the most impressive spots in the city next to the world famous Parthenon. The Parthenon was a beautiful building. In fact it was a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.

The Doctor, Rose, and Jack walked around in wonder. They did not receive many questionable stares regarding their twenty first century clothes. This was because foreigners often came to Athens to study, trade, perform, compete, and so much more and often times, these foreigners would wear unusual clothing. Most Athenians were generally polite and tolerant about it.

"So, tell me the usual bit. When are we and all that." Rose said to the Doctor.

"Well judging by the Parthenon," Jack said looking up at the famous temple on top of a tall hill in the city, "I'd say it's about 431 BCE. Looks like they've just finished decorating it."

"Well Jack, I do believe she was talking to me." The Doctor intervened.

"So am I right?" Jack asked.

"Well yes but that's not the point now is it?" The Doctor sassed back.

Rose didn't know what to make of this "fight". They often clashed playfully like this. However, this time it seemed as if they were doing it over Rose. Well not actually, but that's how Rose chose to see it. They were clearly trying to out do each other to impress her. Or was Jack just playing with the Doctor like always? The Doctor likes to be the smartest person in the room and Jack likes to try and mess and that when he can. Rose was probably over thinking things again.

"How did you know all that anyway?" Rose asked Jack.

" Oh I dated a Greek boy once. He sure knew his facts." Jack said and winked at Rose.

There it was again Jack would sometimes make random references to his mysterious past. Well if he wanted it to be so mysterious, why was he constantly mentioning it? Was he trying to impress Rose? That's certainly what she thought. Rose found herself questioning these things more frequently now. She needed to make up her mind soon, before she ruins this perfect friendship between herself, the Doctor, and Jack. That's not how Jack and the Doctor saw it, but that's how Rose saw it. Once Rose committed her mind to something, she had to resolve it before she could move on. This situation was no exception.

"Can we see the Parthenon?" Rose asked. "You know before it gets all wrecked and abused by history."

"Let's do it." The Doctor said smiling. Rose loved it when he smiled.

They walked through the beautiful city to the bottom of the acropolis, the large hill on which the Parthenon was. However, if they wanted to get to the top of the hill, they had to walk up a seemingly endless number of steps that were carved into the side of the hill. They also seemed to be the only ones there. The rest of the Athenian population was downtown. Every single step leading up to the top of the acropolis was empty.

"Well then," The Doctor said, "Let's get started!"

The Doctor then immediately started running up the first twenty steps before turning around and seeing Jack and Rose still standing on the ground.

"Um could we ride up there in the TARDIS?" Jack asked.

"Please Doctor?" Rose asked as well not wanting to walk up every single step to the top.

"What's wrong with you two?" The Doctor asked. "Where's you sense of adventure? You should know by now that you've got to immerse yourself in history. Be part of the culture. Everyone who wants to worship Athena, which is everyone, has to go up these stairs to do it. So that's what we're going to do."

"Well if everyone wants to worship Athena, then where are they?" Jack asked.

"He's got a point." Rose said. "The Parthenon has just been finished, shouldn't there be people walking up and down the steps to go see it?"

"Well we won't find out from down here. If we get up there, maybe we'll find out." The Doctor said. He may not even have been curious at all about the deserted steps; he just wanted to give his companions some incentive to walk up all the steps.

And so the trio began their long climb up the steps to the Parthenon. It felt like they were walking up to Mount Olympus itself. It was just so long and hard. Although Rose did get to watch the Doctor and Jack from behind as they walked in front of her. That was probably the only nice part about this whole experience. When the finally made it to the top, Jack and Rose fell to the ground panting, while the Doctor kept walking forward to some very large and impressive gates. .

"Oh. My. God. I can't believe we just did that!" Rose said muttering the words through her every breath.

"Doctor, please. Give us a minute." Jack pleaded to the Doctor.

"Come on you two. When are we going to have this chance again?" the Doctor responded.

"How about every day because we have a time machine!" Rose yelled back at the Doctor obviously very angry about his making her walk up the longest flight of stairs in the universe.

"And why couldn't we have just taken the TARDIS up here?" Jack asked the Doctor still on the ground.

"Quit complaining Jack. The Parthenon is calling and I'm going to answer." The Doctor replied.

The Doctor went up to the gates and saw what lay behind them. There were many beautiful buildings and the most extravagant of them all was the Parthenon, the pride of Athens. A large and muscular guard came from the other side to talk to the Doctor through the bars of the gates.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor." He said to the guard. "I'd like to make worship to the great goddess Athena."

"How do you make worship?" Jack asked the Doctor having finally gotten on his feet.

"Shut up." He said looking over at Jack who was now helping Rose to her feet.

"Anyways." He said turning back towards the guard on the other side of the gate, "I'd like to go in please."

"No one can worship today. You must leave now." The guard said.

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor said in confusion.

"You must leave now." The guard repeated.

"Not until you tell me why we can't go inside." The Doctor replied.

Suddenly a woman in a white cloak approached the guard on the other side of the fence. The Doctor noticed her light skin, brown hair, and red lips.

"Is there a problem?" the woman in the cloak asked.

"These people will be leaving soon if they know what's good for them." The guard replied.

The Doctor knew by now how to recognize a bad situation.

"Alright then. Sorry we disturbed you." The Doctor said turning away from the gate and walking towards Rose and Jack.

"What's happening?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"They said no worshipping." He responded.

"So what? We just leave?" Jack asked.

"Oh no we're coming back." The Doctor responded.

"What?" Rose asked.

"Don't worry, I've got a plan." The Doctor said. "But first we have to go back to the TARDIS."

"You mean we have to walk down all these stairs! Again!" Jack shouted at the Doctor.

"So why won't they let us in?" Rose asked.

"Don't know." The Doctor responded.

"So what are we going to do about it?' Rose asked.

"I'll tell you both when we get to the TARDIS. You're cranky right now. You need time to relax." The Doctor said.

"Damn right we're cranky," Jack began. "We just walked up all these steps, relaxed for a total of about five minutes, and now have to go all the way back down and you won't even tell us why?"

"See what I mean? Cranky." The Doctor remarked.

And so, they walked down the steps again. The Doctor maintained his usual element of mystery. Didn't he trust Rose enough by now to tell her his plans? Eventually she would know, but being in the dark was annoying. She also loved it in a weird way. She loved that the Doctor was always surprising her. Yet in this moment, Jack understood her more. Jack was just as frustrated as she and Jack would make it all better once he had a chance to calm down. The Doctor would walk away obliviously. She had a long time to think on the way down the steps. She thought of whom she truly loved, or at least had strong feelings for. The image was coming clear in her mind of who this man was. However, he still couldn't quite see it.

After about an hour, they arrived at the TARDIS.

"Now are you going to tell us what we're doing?" Rose asked.

"I'm surprised neither of you have figured it out yet." The Doctor said.

"Will you just tell us how we're going to get in?" Jack asked as the three of them walked inside the TARDIS. The Doctor ignored Jack and right up to the consul and started pressing buttons.

"Doctor?" Rose started to say. "How are we going to get inside?"

Then, the Doctor pulled another lever on the TARDIS console. Soon, the TARDIS started to dematerialize from the Athenian agora. Rose and Jack felt a bit dumb at this moment. They had a time machine that could travel anywhere. Of course they were going to use it to get into the Parthenon. Rose and Jack merely smiled at the Doctor as to avoid giving him the satisfaction of being the smartest person in the room. However, they failed. He knew he was the most clever and he wanted to soak it all in before heading into what would certainly be danger.

The TARDIS materialized inside the Parthenon itself. The big blue box was parked behind one of the large columns inside the building that ran all along the sides. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack cautiously stepped out. They had ended up just a few hours in the future, and by this time night had fallen on Greece. The room was only lit by torches on the walls. In the center of the room, was a large and impressive statue of the goddess Athena. The myths and legends regarding this statue were certainly true. It was just as magnificent as Rose had read about in her school books and as Jack had heard from his former Greek boyfriend. The Doctor however, was not quite so impressed. He'd seen much more impressive works of art in all his travels.

Suddenly, before they even had a chance to walk around, they heard voices coming behind the statue. The voices were getting closer. Soon, whatever was behind the statue would come closer and see them. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack all ran behind one of the large columns in the room. It was large enough to shield them from view of whatever was coming. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack peeped their heads into view to get a look at what was now in front of the statue. Since, the room was not very well lit, their heads, and more importantly the TARDIS, could not be seen. However, the two people in front of the statue could be seen. It was the guard and the mysterious woman in the white cloak from earlier. They stood in front of the statue talking.

"This was a brilliant idea." The woman said.

"I know sweetheart. Now we never have to go back to that annoying planet."

"Planet?" The Doctor, Rose, and Jack all thought to themselves. These two were obviously aliens of some sort.

"Can I take of this suit off now? I want to be naked." The guard said.

"Perhaps you're right dear. After all, we should celebrate." The woman replied.

Next, the guard and the woman reached for their foreheads. There was a concealed zipper on the very left of their heads. They grabbed it and unzipped. As the zipper unzipped across their foreheads, a blinding ray of blue light ejected from their heads and filled the room. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack had seen this before. Whatever joy the TARDIS team hoped to achieve on this trip was now dead. Evil aliens were here. Within seconds, two large green aliens about eight feet tall were standing in front of the statue of Athena. They were Raxacoricofallapatroians, but they seemed evil, which meant one thing; they were part of the Slitheen Family.

The Slitheen were a family of evil killers. They would do anything and kill anyone if it meant they could get money and serve their own self interests. The lives of others were unimportant to them. Now it seemed they had control of the most sacred sight in one of the most powerful and influential cities in the world. The first time the Doctor and Rose met the Slitheen, they tried use nuclear weapons to turn the earth into starship fuel and sell it to the highest bidders. The next time they met the Slitheen, and this time with Jack, one tried to destroy the planet in order to send herself across the universe and back to her family. Now, who knew what they were up to?

"Do you smell that dear?" one of them said.

"Yes I do." The other Slitheen replied. "There are some scared humans in our Parthenon."

Raxacoricofallapatorians could smell fear and they hunted it out. A Slitheen hunt was a ritual. It brought them pleasure and often times a meal.

The Doctor, having heard this remark, now stepped out into the light.

"Excuse you," he said. "I'm no human."

Just then, Rose and Jack appeared into the light as well.

"Now these two are humans. You can tell by their stink." The Doctor said.

"Hey!" Rose and Jack said simultaneously.

"Well it looks like we've got ourselves a meal." One of the Sitheen said.

"Oh good. I'm hungry." The other Slitheen said.

"Now hold on a minute. We came all this way and we at least want some answers." The Doctor began. "Right then. It's about 431 BCE. You can't be here. Also, since when could the Slitheen fit into slim and muscular humans? I thought you needed room to breath in those suits. Also, why have you taken over the Parthenon."

The two Slitheen did not answer him, instead they prepared to run forward and kill the three intruders.

"Um, Doctor." Rose mumbled out obviously very afraid.

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned all over the room.

"What are you doing?' Jack asked.

"Looking for an exit." The Doctor responded.

Suddenly, two parts of the floor shaped like doors opened up in front of the Doctor, Rose, and Jack. In fact they seemed exactly like doors just on the floor. The parts of the floor swung open and two staircases leading down under the Parthenon were revealed.

"What are those?" Rose asked.

"It looks like trap doors or something." Jack responded.

"Well right now it's our way out." The Doctor said referring to the two Slitheen now charging at them from across the large room.

The Doctor went through one of the doors and down one staircase into darkness while Jack went through the other door and down the other staircase into darkness. They must not have noticed that they went in opposite doors. Rose didn't know which one to follow. However, she didn't have time to think. So she went through one of the doors and ran down a long, dark flight of stairs. She didn't know which man she followed, but she hoped to find someone soon. She could hear a Slitheen approaching behind her.


	3. The Slitheen Trap

Chapter 3: The Slitheen Trap

Rose kept running down the stairs until she hit solid ground. There were torches all along the walls. Through their dim light, she could see three separate tunnels. The Doctor or Jack must have gone through one of them. But where was she anyways? She couldn't have run all of the way down the hill. She'd made that climb twice and she would know if she did it again. So, Rose could only deduce that there was a secret series of tunnels built into the hill under the Parthenon. That was certainly something that she didn't know. But why where there so many tunnels under the Parthenon? How did the Slitheen get to 431 BCE? How could they fit inside such slim humans. Nothing added up and the only two men who could help her were gone. They ran away and she had no idea where. All Rose Tyler knew was that she was being chased by a Slitheen and that it was going to kill her if she didn't move soon.

Suddenly, the Doctor came running out of one of the tunnels and stopped right in front of her.

"Rose!" he screamed.

"Doctor we need to move. There's a Slitheen coming." Rose hastily told him.

They could hear the roars coming from up the stairs. The Slitheen was approaching and ready to kill.

"Alright, then we'll do what we do best." The Doctor said.

"And what's that?" Rose asked.

The Doctor took her hand and looked her in the eyes. His dazzling eyes enchanted her. She fell under his spell. She was captivated. Whatever he was about to say. It would sound magical to her.

"Run." He said to her. Then, they both ran through one of the secret tunnels.

Run. The first words he ever said to her. The first words he ever used to excite her mind of his mystery. This was the man she ran away with. This was the man who showed her a whole new world. In fact he showed her many new worlds and all along the way he transformed her into from a girl destined to work in shops her whole life to a heroine who saves worlds from certain destruction. She was the only one in the universe who could make a Dalek change its mind and all because of the Doctor.

They kept running and running through the tunnels.

"How can all of this be here?" Rose asked the Doctor while barely having time to breath with all this running.

"I don't know. It probably has something to do with the Slitheen." The Doctor guessed.

Eventually, the Doctor and Rose ran into a wall and fell to the ground.

"What was that?" Rose asked.

There was one torch on the wall of this tunnel that showed a wall made of rock right in front of them.

"Why is there a wall here?" Rose asked. "Why is there a tunnel that leads straight form the Parthenon to a wall?"

"Good question." The Doctor remarked as he took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the wall. "Rose, this isn't a wall."

The roars of the Slitheen were heard from farther down the dark hallway.

"Doctor its coming." Rose remarked

The Doctor just kept scanning the door. The Slitheen roars were getting louder.

"Alright. If it's not a wall, then what is it?" Rose asked.

The Doctor looked at her and smiled. "It's a door."

Suddenly, the rock wall swung open like a door.

"Is everything a door around here?" Rose asked.

On the other side of the door was a large white room. The roars of the Slitheen became much louder now. So, The Doctor and Rose ran inside the room, shut the "door" and locked it with a sonic screwdriver. After finally having time to catch their breath, the Doctor and Rose looked around. It was a large room with white walls, a white floor, and a white ceiling. It was a blank room with nothing in it.

"So the Slitheen built a tunnel from the Parthenon to a blank white room somewhere under the hill." Rose commented.

"It would appear so." The Doctor said.

"But there's nothing here." Rose remarked.

"Oh there's something here." The Doctor said scanning the room.

"Is there another hidden door?" Rose asked.

"More like a hidden floor." The Doctor responded.

With another wave of his sonic screwdriver, the floor started the open. Literally, it was opening. Starting form the center of the room, the white floor started to split in half and slide from the center of the room towards the walls. Rose and the Doctor ran to the closest wall to avoid falling in inside the floor. The Doctor waved his sonic screwdriver again and the floor stopped splitting just in time before Rose and the Doctor fell in.

They peeped over to look at what was under the floor and what they saw was unbelievable. The Doctor and Rose saw eggs. The entire surface underneath the floor was covered with hundreds of green eggs.

"Doctor, are those what I think they are?" Rose asked.

"I'm afraid so. These are Slitheen eggs. They're going to hatch soon. Maybe in about a week, or a day, or an hour. I can't tell. The Slitheen are expanding their family. I have no doubt they'll try to make this planet their new home. Remember they were expelled from Raxacoricofallapatorius?"

"Yes, but why here in Athens? Why underneath the Parthenon?" Rose asked.

Suddenly, the rock door opened again and the Slitheen mother was staring at them.

"Good question." She said. Of course the alien who laid the eggs knew the answer, but she certainly wasn't going to tell the Doctor or Rose.

Then, without warning, the Slitheen mother swiftly ran towards them, took Rose in her arms and ran away back through the tunnel. It happened so fast that the Doctor wasn't able to stop it.

"Rose!" he screamed after her. But the Slitheen ran with Rose into total darkness. The Doctor was powerless.

Meanwhile Rose Tyler was being clenched into a Slitheen's arms. No matter how hard she tried, the young blond from London could not get free. She couldn't even see. The Slitheen was running so fast. Even if there was light in this tunnel, she wouldn't be able to see anything. Eventually, the Slitheen stopped. There was another torch on the wall. Now Rose could see what was around her. They were still inside a tunnel, but there was another wall in front of them. Rose could only assume that this wall was in fact a secret door. She was right.

The door opened and The Slitheen took Rose into another room with white walls, a white ceiling, and a white floor.

"Put me down!" Rose demanded.

The alien then threw her on the ground. Rose hit the bright white floor hard.

"You could be a bit more gentle." Rose remarked.

"You will be silent." The female Slitheen ordered.

"So what exactly are you doing here?" Rose asked.

"Oh wouldn't you like to know." The Slitheen retorted.

"Well yes actually." Rose said still obviously very afraid, which the Slitheen could smell.

"I can smell your fear. Your fear will make to taste all the better." The alien said.

"What!" Rose screamed.

"That's right. Once my eggs hatch, they'll need a first meal and you will do perfectly."

The Slitheen then walked out of the room and locked the door on her way out. Rose was left by herself in the middle of the bright white room. Both the men in her life were missing. She was going to die alone. She just wished one of them would come rescue her. It didn't matter which one anymore. She couldn't get out. Rose was inventive and smart especially in getting out of tricky situations. This time however, she couldn't do anything. She was powerless and soon she would become food for hundreds of Slitheen babies.


	4. The Stolen TARDIS

Chapter 4: The Stolen TARDIS

Rose tried very hard not to panic. Alone and afraid, all she could do was sit down on the floor and cry. This couldn't be how it was going to end. Rose had always been invincible. She'd survived the destruction of the Earth. She's faced ghosts from across the universe. She hung up in the air during the London Blitz with German planes and bombs flying around her. She survived the Slitheen, twice. Rose Tyler even survived a Dalek. Yet none of it mattered if she was going to die hundreds of feet underneath the Parthenon alone in 431 BCE. She would never see her mother again. She promised her she would return ten seconds after she left. Rose realized that now she could never keep that promise. The worst part of it all was that she was completely isolated. Rose had consumed her thoughts with the Doctor and Jack. Maybe she would've been better off without either of them. Clearly this couldn't be true. She was locked in a room inside of a mountain waiting to become a meal. Rose could surely use the Doctor or Jack right now.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the wall coming from the outside. Rose perked up her head and tried to determine which wall the knocking noise came from. Then, she heard a voice.

"Damn!" the voice said.

Rose had heard this voice before. It clearly belonged to a man. Even though this man was cursing, just the sound of his voice was able to charm Rose from the other side of the wall. She knew who was out there. It was Captain Jack Harkness.

"Jack!" Rose called to him from inside the bright white room.

"Rose?" Jack questioned still in the tunnel. There was almost no light where jack was standing. He could only hear Rose's voice through the wall. "What's going on?" he then asked her.

"It's the Slitheen. I was with the Doctor and we came upon a wall that turned out to be a door. Inside was a bright white room where they 're keeping hundreds of eggs." Rose replied.

"Why are they keeping their eggs under the Parthenon?" Jack asked.

Rose could still clearly hear what he was saying even though there was an entire wall of rock between them.

"The Doctor thinks they might be trying to expand their family and make Earth their new home." She replied.

"Yes, but why Athens? Why under the Parthenon? Why 431 BCE? Is the Doctor with you?" Jack asked.

"No, we got separated. I'm all alone. The Slitheen that put me here said that she was going to feed me to her babies when they hatch." Rose said.

"Like hell she will." Jack said.

Rose loved this side of him. The side that was defensive of her. The side that would protect her at all costs.

"How do I get in?" he asked.

"Well, it's a secret door. The Doctor opened it with a sonic screwdriver and I was clenched the arm of a Slitheen when she opened it so I couldn't see how it was done." Rose replied.

"Don't worry." Jack said. "Just stand a good distance away from the wall, or door, or whatever."

"What are you doing?" Rose asked.

"Trust me. Just stand away from the wall." Jack responded.

Rose did as he said and stood back. Then, the wall she was told to stay away from exploded. There was now a giant hole in the wall with smoke covering the area. When the smoke cleared, Jack Harkness was standing there. Jack and Rose looked at each other and smiled. They ran towards each other and embraced in a long hug.

"Alright," Jack said to Rose while looking her in the eyes and still holding her. "Let's get out of here."

"How did you do that?" Rose asked.

Jack let go of her and reached into his pocket. Then, he pulled out a small gun.

"It's a Compact Laser Deluxe." Jack said to her.

"Where were you keeping that?" Rose asked.

"You really don't wanna know." Jack replied with a wink.

Jack did it. He came to her rescue. The damsel in distress saved by a suave man from the future. What had the Doctor done? He stood there and watched as the Slitheen carried her away. Although to be fair, there's no way the Doctor ever would've caught up with the Slitheen, especially since it was in the dark. At least the Doctor could've tried.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming at them from the darkness. Jack and Rose could not see anything. They could only hear the sound coming towards them faster and faster. Rose was hesitant to go back into the white room. So, Jack and Rose stood still at the entrance. Jack got in front of Rose and readied his weapon in case he had to use it.

Suddenly, from out of the darkness, the Doctor stepped into the light. He almost fell to the ground. He was out of breath and panting.

"It's about time you showed up." Jack remarked.

"They took Rose. I've been running after her for about fifteen minutes nonstop." The Doctor said while struggling to catch his breath.

"Really?" Rose questioned as she moved from behind Jack so that the Doctor could see her.

"You're alive!" The Doctor shouted. Then, he ran up to her and hugged her tight.

The Doctor did care after all. He ran fast through a complex network of tunnels in the dark just to save her. He proved that even in danger, he put Rose first. That's all she ever wanted form him. However, Jack was the one who actually saved her and made her feel save again. This hardly mattered now. The Slitheen were still lurking around somewhere and the eggs were going to hatch rather soon.

The trio walked through the dark tunnels using the Doctor's sonic screwdriver to create a bright blue light. Eventually they came back to the original stairs that they first climbed down from the floor of the Parthenon itself. They walked up with caution. The plan was simple and easy. They would go to the safety of the TARDIS, figure out what to do, and stop the Slitheen. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all they had at the moment. The trap doors on the floor of the Parthenon were still open. The Doctor poked his head out to scope the area and see if there were any Slitheen around. There were not.

Then, the Doctor, Rose, and Jack walked up to the floor of the Parthenon. They parked the TARDIS right by the large doors of the building. They walked towards the doors anxious to get into the safety of the Doctor's blue box. However, something was wrong. The TARDIS was gone.

"What's happened to the TARDIS?" Rose asked sounding very alarmed.

"It can't just be gone." Jack stated.

"Oh yes it can." The Doctor corrected him.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"I mean the Slitheen took the TARDIS."


	5. The Doctor or the Captain?

Chapter 5: The Doctor or the Captain?

"Great. That's the last thing we need." Jack remarked.

"Alright. So the Slitheen have closed off the Parthenon so they could have it all to themselves. Then, they built a network of tunnels underneath it. And deep in these tunnels are hundreds of Slitheen eggs ready to hatch soon. Now they've taken the TARDIS. It doesn't make sense." Rose said.

"Well not to us, but to the Slitheen it makes perfect sense. They need the TARDIS for something." The Doctor remarked.

"But they couldn't have known that the TARDIS would show up. You don't even know where you're going half the time." Jack said to the Doctor. "There's no way they could predict when it would come."

"Excuse you! Nobody pilots the TARDIS better than me." The Doctor snapped back.

"He's got a point." Rose said.

"Hey!" The Doctor said to her.

"I meant about the Slitheen. They couldn't have factored in the TARDIS to their original plan they must have changed it when they saw it." Rose said.

"Whatever they were planning on doing before doesn't matter now. With the TARDIS, they could do anything." The Doctor said.

"But the TARDIS is locked and you have the key." Jack stated to the Doctor.

"Oh no." The Doctor said.

"You don't have the key?" Rose shouted.

"No I have it." The Doctor said. "That only means one thing."

"What?" Jack said very impatiently. He was tired of the Doctor's constant riddles.

"They're going to try and take it." The Doctor said.

Suddenly, the two Slitheen sprung up from the two trap doors in the floor. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack stared at them in fear.

"Alright. Confession time. What are you doing in Athens, in the Parthenon, in 431 BCE, and what have you done with my TARDIS?" The Doctor asked very sternly.

"Well, if you must know." The male Slitheen started to say and then turned to look at his female partner in crime.

"The Slitheen Family was forced to flee Raxacoricofallapatorius some time ago," The female Slitheen said. "Our family is large and massive. We had to spread out to all corners of the universe to escape the Judoon. My husband and I crash landed here in this tiny city."

"We decided to stay awhile." The male Slitheen said. "But we wanted to enjoy our stay."

"So we killed powerful politicians, nobles, and religious officials, and convinced the city to build this nice Parthenon for us to live. We simply covered it up as a statue to their goddess Athena." The female Slitheen said.

"You learned Greek?" Jack questioned.

"It was necessary." The male Slitheen confirmed.

"That's all well and good, but how did you fit into such small humans? I thought your technology could only work with larger bodies?" The Doctor asked.

"We weren't sitting in there comfortably. We had to tuck in all our weight and maneuver around our own organs." The female said.

"What's with all the eggs?" Rose asked.

"What do you think is up with all the eggs?" the female said obviously mocking her. "Why does anyone lay eggs? We wanted children."

"You'd be a terrible mother." Rose said to the monster.

The mother Slitheen growled at her.

"Be patient dear," the father Slitheen said to her. "We need to save them for the children."

The two Slitheen were now done talking and were ready to take action. They started running towards the three people in order to seize them and store them for when their eggs would hatch. The Doctor and Rose stood still panicking. However, Jack still had his Compact Laser Deluxe. He carefully aimed it at the father Slitheen and swiftly shot him dead. The mother Slitheen changed direction. She stopped charging at the Doctor, Rose, and Jack and ran towards her husband who was dead on the floor. She started to weep over his body.

While she sobbed, the Doctor, Rose, and Jack ran back through one of the trap doors, since that was the only way they could escape the Slitheen without the TARDIS. Once the three of them were down the stairs, the Doctor took his sonic screwdriver out again and pointed above at the trap door. As he activated it, the door slammed shut. They were trapped under the Parthenon in a maze of tunnels, but at least they were safe from the Slitheen. Soon enough however, there was a series of large bangs coming from the other side of the trap door.

"She's trying to get it." Jack said.

"Run!" Rose said.

Soon, the Doctor, Rose, and Jack started running blindly through the dark tunnels.

"I can't believe you shot him." The Doctor said to Jack while still running.

"It was the only way out." Jack said.

"You know better Jack. We only kill if necessary." The Doctor said.

"It was pretty necessary. Besides I did those children a favor. You think they would benefit form a father like that." Jack said.

The two boys continued arguing while running in the dark. All Rose could do was listen. She did not dare to intervene. She also had time to think while running in the dark. She heard how The Doctor defended every life. He did not believe in killing. Rose loved that about him. However, Jack saved Rose yet again. Those Slitheen were charging at them and Jack took initiative to save them. Once again, Rose was faced with a choice. The Doctor and Jack were opposite sides of the same coin. She promised herself she'd sort these emotions out when she had the time, yet she could hardly ever find it. So she decided that now would be as good a time as any.

As Rose tried to process her feelings and come to a decision, she, the Doctor, and Jack all ran into a wall and fell down.

"Another door to a secret room?" Jack questioned.

The three time travelers got onto their feet. The Doctor activated his sonic screwdriver, which seemed to light up the area they were in. It also made the rock wall slide open, revealing yet another room with bright white walls, ceiling, and floor.

"How many of these rooms are there?" Jack asked.

No one knew the answer. Upon entering the room, they saw a big blue box at the end of the long room. The TARDIS was found. Suddenly they heard a loud roar behind them. It was the mother Slitheen and she was approaching them fast. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack ran into the TARDIS and locked the doors behind them.

Before they could even catch their breath, the TARDIS started to shake and the three friends fell on the floor. The mother Slitheen was right outside and she was shaking the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" Rose shouted from inside the shaking TARDIS. "That's peculiar." She thought to herself. Why was she calling for the Doctor in the face of danger? Jack was right there as well. She guessed that the Doctor would always be there to save her and she'd known him much longer than Jack. That clearly decided it. Rose had chosen the Doctor. Jack had certainly done more to impress Rose today, but in the end it was the Doctor she wanted to hold when danger arrived at her doorstep. It was the Doctor. It would always be the Doctor. Someday she would tell him how she felt. However, right now, they were going to be killed if the Slitheen managed to get inside the TARDIS.

The Doctor ran towards the TARDIS console, pulled levers, and pressed buttons. Then, the TARDIS started to dematerialize, but the Slitheen was still holding on. The TARDIS rocked around as it flew through the time vortex. The Doctor, Rose, and Jack were stumbling about the TARDIS as it flew. It felt like being in an earthquake. Eventually, the rocking stopped and the TARDIS had landed.

"What's happened? Where's the Slitheen?" Rose asked.

The Doctor simply looked at her and ran outside the TARDIS doors. Jack and Rose followed. They had landed inside the Parthenon again. Upon looking around, the Doctor could only see the body of the Slitheen who was shot by Jack. The one who attacked them was missing.

"She's gone." The Doctor remarked.

"You mean she's…" Jack started to ask.

"Dead." The Doctor said.

"What happened?" Rose asked the Doctor.

"She clung to the TARDIS as it flew through the time vortex. She must have let go while it was shaking and the Time Winds killed her." The Doctor said.

"Now what?" Jack asked.

"Well there are hundreds of Slitheen eggs that are going to hatch very soon and they don't have any parents." The Doctor stated.

"I'm not sure I like where this is going." Jack remarked.

"We're gonna use the TARDIS to bring all the eggs to good families on Raxacoricofallapatorius!" The Doctor said.

Rose smiled. She knew she had chosen right.

So, the TARDIS went to every bright white room in every tunnel under the Parthenon, took every egg, and brought it to Raxacoricofallapatorius. It took hours to transport all of the eggs, but Rose didn't mind. She was happy. She had the Doctor. She had a life with the most remarkable man in the universe. She hoped someday that their relationship would bloom into something more, but that would take time. Rose was willing to spend the rest of her life with him. Travelling the universe didn't matter as long as she could still end each day with a tight hug, and maybe someday a kiss, from her Doctor.


End file.
